What Skylar saw as he entered the chamber was the wall of the chamber that has turned black from soot sticking to it, a partially burnt floor discolored with scattered black ashes, and at a corner, a heap of ashes next to an unusually large immobile creature laid with its belly facing the unsullied ceiling of the chamber.

  What's these tree made of? I thought it was going to burn along with the lizard, even the wood shavings on the floor almost didn't burn at all...

  Surprised by the state of the tree, Skylar went ahead to check its condition by feeling its bark that is the wall of the chamber.

  Is this guy dead? its not breathing, wait, it didn't really burn, so how did it died?

  Moving on, he approached the stiff creature and checked its vitals to confirm if it has really become a dead meat.

  It definitely was that poisonous smoke, a whiff of it could partially shut down my nervous system, I wonder what a wave of it will do to someone, it did put me down for quiet along time though...

  Thinking to himself, he sat in front of the fresh meat with the intention of turning it into dinner. Then he pinched the creature's belly, feeling its meat with his strong fingers.

  "Fuck! This guy's meat is super tough, can I even eat this?" He exclaimed and muttered with a tone and expression of surprise as he found out the creature's supposed burnt meat is as tough as a metal.

  "That will do it, I think."

  After coming to a decision, he stood up and stretch his muscles, temporarily ignoring his unprepared dinner. Then he went outside the shrub though still naked, for a tour of the strangely safe vicinity that is limited to near the river bank and the shrub perimeter.

  During his tour he gathered a lot of things—logs, sharp stones, sticks, dry leaves, fresh leaf, and many other stuffs he thinks he needs for who knows.

  After a while, he returned to the chamber with all this stuff. Then sitting down in a corner with focused attention, he set to tinkering with the stuffs he gathered, and from them he created new stuffs and tools he needs going forward, a testament to his craftsmanship knowledge and ingenuity.

  "Awnn... That was a bit stressful." Skylar yawned after having spend a bit of a long time making and preparing the stuffs he needed.

  He returned to the fresh meat with a sharp stone and a large bone club which are one of the things he procured earlier.

  Setting his gaze on one of the creature's forelimb that is limping lifelessly to the side, Skylar raised the bone club and starts to brutally pummel the creature's limb repeatedly with sweat streaming down his face and his strength exerted to the limit.

  After softening the creature's large limb meat through pounding, he cut off a piece of it with the sharp stone with a little difficulty, then he proceeded to wash them in a basin he carved from wood that contains clear water from the shallow edge of the large ancient river.

  After carefully preparing fire from the gently burning wood shavings bounded by four stones acting as a support; he tried stabbing the fat piece of meat with a thin sharp long bone he procured also, trying to make a steak, but unfortunately things didn't work out as he couldn't successfully pierce the piece of meat that is still thick and super tough.

  "Fuck it..."

  Frustrated, he threw the piece of meat into the fire, not caring about the dirt that will stick to it and if it will get badly burnt from the naked flame, although he hope so.

  After several minutes of blowing the sickly flame that is burning from some of the more combustible wood shavings, trying to sustain it, Skylar withdrew the meat he expected to be cooked from the fire onto the wooden basin with a big smile on his face.

  Its definitely not properly cooked, but who cares? Man is hungary and anything goes...

  Thinking to himself, he put the meat in his mouth and with great difficulty he starts chewing on it. And after minutes of chewing, biting and licking, the meat gave way and for the first time in the world of BRAVE, Skylar put something in his stomach—his first ever meal.

  However as soon as he swallowed the last bit of the piece of meat, he passed out, slumping to the dirt covered floor on his side. And just a few seconds after he landed on the floor; his unconscious body with his eyes tightly shut and lips and teeth blackened and burnt, turned fiery red like lava as it starts burning thoroughly from the inside to even the nails and body hairs, making his figure and sight pitiable and horrifying.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ....

  Meanwhile, outside the shrub, along the river bank;

  The silhouette of a massive mythical creature appeared.

  The creature silhouetted except their starry colossal eyes approached the humongous shrub where the chamber where Skylar unconscious body is, with graceful unhurried steps, stopping in front of it and with their divine eyes, they stare down with a peculiar gaze at the tunnel entrance below. And in the reflection on their pupil is the image of a burning hot unconscious creature with their blood vessels visible and taut to the extreme—a shriveled creature with a clashing teeth and rhythmically quivering fists that reflects his current desperate battle for name and pride that is going on at the depth of their mind.

  After a short while, the silhouetted mythical creature turned around, and in a single movement, their figure disappeared across the extremely wild river into the distance on the other side.

  Time passed.

  Just like before, the creature reappeared like a flash, probably coming from the unknown distance at the other side of the river and it stopped directly in front of the humongous shrub which is their previous spot as if they never left.

  The creature definitely with motive unknown even to the heavens, made a series of suspicious movement in front of the shrub, taking their time while the creature inside is still fighting a life and death battle in his unconscious realm as it seems to an observer. Then done with their strange movement, they turned and gazed at the heavens and then at the shrub below, actually at the miserable creature reflected in their clear ancient divine pupil. And finally like smoke, they vanished.

  ...

  In the chamber, after an unknown amount of time;

  "I smell... I really smell like shit... When did I even sleep off like an idiot?"

  By his strength of will, Skylar who came out victorious from a sudden contest he has forgotten totally looked at his body covered in layers of sticky grimes and dirt, dissatisfied with its state.

  I gotta clean...

  Deciding in his mind, he hurriedly left the chamber. And on his way in the dimly lit tunnel, he tripped his foot on something—an act he finds strange since the tunnel's floor is supposed to be clear and free just like he has already confirmed.

  "Fucker, who put this thing here on the way?" As he questioned no one in particular, he saw the strange object responsible rolled over in front of him.

  Curious, he picked up the round object the size of a basketball and carefully scrutinized and feel it with his hands.

  After a careful examination, putting the incident behind him, he put the object which happened to be some sort of fruit to one side, ignoring it for the mean time, and then he continued on his quest to get his body cleaned as fast as possible.

  ...

  At the river bank;

  The sound of a man whistling blended with the sound of pouring water.

  The figure of Skylar bathing naked beside the shallow edge of the river, from a distance look like a wrapped gift that is being unpacked layers after layers as layers and slabs of dirts and grimes dramatically peeled off his body to reveal a brand new skin underneath.

  This river is very strange. For this magnitude of water running at this crazy speed and someone can't even hear its sound unless they come closer. Even the feeling and satisfaction its water gives when drunk is absolutely beyond what the best water in the real world can give. And now, just pouring it on my body is enough to completely wash away all this sticky filth on it easily... I was even thinking I was going to do some serious scrubbing...

  Thinking to himself with his wet face showing a sign of relief, Skylar continued with the process of getting his body cleaned and fresh.

  After his clean bath, he returned to the chamber whistling and with his wooden bowl and the strange fruit he found when he tripped earlier in his hand.

  Inside the chamber in a corner:

  "Wait, this guy is also very tough."

  Skylar felt surprised by the toughness of the strange golden fruit with a strange purple pattern on it and no stalk or a sign of it anywhere, making it perfectly round and smooth.

  Determined, he continued to device and try different methods to obtain the content of the fruit through its super hard skin but to no avail.

  "Fuck!"

  Standing up in anger, he went to grab the bone club, then returning, he starts clobbering the annoying fruit as hard as he could, hoping a crack would appear.

  However, after hitting it with the bone club for a long time with no result, he quit, but as he picked it up again, he discovered on it a pin size protrusion he examined for a while and then pull out easily like removing a prong from fire with his long and sharp nail.

  "So easy. Hmm, there is something like water inside."

  After looking inside the fruit through the tiny hole and discovering a clear liquid, he felt a bit of joy and relief from overcoming the frustrating hurdle and getting a deserved reward.

  Lifting up the fruit, he opened his mouth wide and emptied the liquid to the last drop into it.

  This thing has no taste, but I can't seem to have enough of it... it felt like I was floating as it entered my throat...

  He licked his lip and his face radiating a peaceful smile was then sooner polluted with a wistful expression at the thought that he has finished everything without knowing.

  Later, after relishing the feeling he got from the liquid and organizing his thought; he picked a thin sized bone and lodged it in the hole on the fruit, and with the help of the super hard bone, he was able to successfully split the fruit open to reveal its inside. Then with a happy face, he starts gorging the fleshy pulp of the fruit.

  It taste like apple...

  Thinking to himself, he swallowed the last bit of the fruit, only the skin excluded. However in the next moment, with great haste he held his head with his two hands before he fell to the floor and starts screaming out in great pain with his legs kicking the air.

  And screaming and rolling on the ground with his body sweating profusely, he endured the inexplicable pain he felt at the root of his spirit, a pain he will surely trade for his life and he may never forget if he survives it.

  And like this, the unbothered nature sings on as someone fights for his life a second time.